The fiery ‘POW' of Indo-Chinese manchow

Just a couple weeks’ back, I made a brand-new discovery: manchow.

The soup, equal parts spicy and sour, is of Indo-Chinese origin, which makes it an ideal recipe for Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, as well as an absolute s%@#-kicker of a sinus clearer come cold season.

I got my first taste right here in town at Nawabi Hyderabad House, a locally-owned franchise that’s new to Orlando, but well established in other parts of the country and even abroad, though its first location popped up in Houston, Texas.

It was here in Lake Mary, in between bites of deep-fried gobi and beautiful lamb biryanis that our server showed up with a steamy bowl of vegetarian manchow (the restaurant sells a chicken version, as well).

“Are you sure you want it spicy?” she asked me.

I nodded.

I am sure she and several of the other staffers were taking bets on whether I could handle it.

Hot stuff in Lake Mary at Nawabi Hyderabadi House | Review

I did. I relished it, in fact. But be warned: it is a barn burner, even for me.

The sour tempers the heat on this slurry-thickened soup, something that for me read like a merging of egg drop, tom yum and chilies grow in the garden of Satan himself.

The sour comes courtesy of rice vinegar, but the below recipe from Dassana Amit of Dassana’s Veg Recipes notes that this can be subbed with white. I’ve seen other recipes that suggested cider vinegar, too.

I chose to use both green and red chilies for my first go-round in the kitchen and while it was quite spicy (probably too spicy for lots of you out there) it still fell short of the version they’ve got at Nawabi, which will be my North Star as I continue to practice with it.

There is absolutely nothing difficult about making manchow. If I had to list a “worst part of,” I’d say you have to spend a lot of time chopping and shredding vegetables, but the result is a wonderful soup with veg in every single bite. Several, like the French beans and cabbage, retain their crispness, so there’s solid texture even amid the silky.

Fried noodles, the traditional topper here, adds a bunch more, even as they grow pleasantly soft over time. Textures change with manchow. And you can always add more.

I’m not a glutton for punishment, so I went Sandra Lee semi-homemade and just bought a package of La Choy to toss in. Fresh cilantro, if you like it, is another must-include. But this recipe is versatile, as you will read. And the soup comes together very quickly once the cooking starts, a fantastic bonus for someone like me, whose chicken soup has to simmer at least two hours before I can enjoy a bowl.

Next time, though, I’m throwing in extra Serranos.

Enjoy!

Vegetarian Manchow

Recipe courtesy Dassana’s Veg Recipes (vegrecipesofindia.com/veg-manchow-soup-recipe/#wprm-recipe-container-138389)

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon sesame oil or any other oil
• 1 teaspoon red chilies, fresh and finely chopped or 1 to 2 green chillies or fresh red chillies
• 1 teaspoon ginger, finely chopped
• 1 teaspoon garlic, finely chopped
• ¼ cup onions, finely chopped or ¼ cup spring onion whites
• ¼ to ⅓ cup button mushrooms, sliced or chopped
• ¼ cup French beans, finely chopped
• ¼ cup cabbage, shredded
• ¼ cup carrots, grated or finely chopped
• ¼ cup green bell pepper – finely chopped
• 1 teaspoon celery, finely chopped (optional)
• ¼ teaspoon black pepper powder or white pepper powder, or to taste
• 2 teaspoons soy sauce, or to taste
• 3 cups water or vegetable stock
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch dissolved in 2 tablespoons water
• ½ teaspoon rice vinegar or regular white vinegar, optional
• 2 teaspoons cilantro – finely chopped, or 1 to 2 tablespoons spring onion greens, for garnish, optional
• Salt as required

For the fried noodles – optional

(Note from Amy Drew: I was lazy; I used La Choy!)

• ⅓ cup noodles, cooked
• oil for frying
• 1 teaspoon cornstarch for coating noodles

1. Evenly coat noodles with 1 teaspoon of cornstarch
2. Add to medium-hot oil, fry until crisp, drain on paper towels.

Instructions for stir frying veggies

1. Rinse and chop all the veggies, mushrooms and keep aside.
2. Heat oil in a wok or pan and add the chopped fresh chilies, garlic and ginger.
3. On low heat, sauté for 8 to 10 seconds and then add onions. Sauté for a minute.
4. Add finely chopped French beans and chopped mushrooms. Stir fry on medium to high heat until mushrooms get lightly browned at edges.
5. Add grated carrots, shredded cabbage, finely chopped green bell pepper and celery. Stir fry on medium to high heat for 3 to 4 minutes.
6. Add soy sauce and black pepper. Stir to mix.
7. Add water or stock. Taste for salt, add if necessary. Let come to simmer over medium heat.
8. During Step 7, make smooth slurry with cornstarch and small amount of water.
9. Reduce heat to low, add slurry, mix well. Allow soup to thicken over low to medium heat.
10. Add vinegar. Turn off heat.
11. Taste for additional seasoning, such as black pepper, soy sauce or vinegar, and add accordingly.
12. If making noodles yourself, coat evenly with 1 teaspoon corn starch.
13. Fry to crisp over medium-hot heat.
14. Drain noodles on paper towel.
15. Serve soup topped with fried noodles and a little chopped cilantro.

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This story was originally published May 13, 2026 at 5:04 AM.